What does luxury look like? A luxury fixture looks like Kohler's new WaterTile Bodysprays  which lie virtually flush to the wall and can be placed almost anywhere. The 22-nozzle WaterTile delivers a high-volume, stimulating spray, while the 54-nozzle WaterTile creates soothing hydrotherapy. To top it off, you can include Digital Showering (DTV) that creates a spa like environment that allows you to control the water temperature, sound and steam from one control unit. What does luxury feel like? I had the opportunity to enjoy the new WaterTile Bodysprays and DTV at the Canyon Ranch Spa at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, FL.  Their state of the art spa features Kohler Showers and I spent at least a half hour doing "product research" after a great message and then another half hour a... 05/27/2008

Buying or Selling? One Call Does it ALL!! Rick Belben Direct (407) 341-1706 Are you looking for an experienced real estate professional who knows the Orlando Real Estate market and can get the results you desire? Let me put my knowledge, experience, and dedication to work for you. Give me a call today, and I will immediately get to work for you - satisfying your real estate needs. Buying a Home? I'll take the time to listen to your needs and desires, and find your dream home. Your total satisfaction is my number one priority. Selling a Home? I will get your home sold for top dollar and in a timely manner. My online and offline marketing programs will give you the edge you need to sell your home. I don't want to just list your home, I want to sell it! Fast! Relocating to the Orlando Flor... 05/26/2008

The City of Lake Mary is sponsoring a "Safety Fair" on Saturday, May 31st from 9:00am-1:00pm. The Fair will be held at Lake Mary's City Hall and in Central Park, where visitors can also enjoy the Farmer's Market. The Lake Mary Police Department, Fire Department, D.A.R.E. and other community organizations will be participating. This year, the City is asking visitors/residents to donate their unused cell phones to the "911 Cell Phones for Seniors" Project. Donated phones are given to Seniors so that they can make emergency calls only. This event and others like it is why I love Lake Mary!  And, according to Money Magazine, Lake Mary is the #1 City in the State of Florida and the #4 City in the U.S. to live! As a Lake Mary/Seminole County resident for more than 30 years, I would love to he... 05/17/2008

Get your Lake Mary house listed in the Mid FL Regional Multiple Listing Service ( MLS ).  This MLS services all of Seminole County as well as most of the Central Florida region. Listing your home in the MLS exposes your house to about 30,000 Realtors(R) in the region.  The MLS also powers websites like www.Realtor.com, www.OrlandoSentinel.com, SDRhouses.com. These websites in turn power hundreds of other sites like Google Base, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Florida Living Network, & Cyberhomes which exposes your listing to million + potential buyers on the net.  Our Basic Listing is a very inexpensive way to to get your property listed onto the MLS and the internet.  Additionally we will provide you an initial pricing and marketing consultation, contract forms, and a for sale sign. For just a little... 05/15/2008

This morning, I could start to feel the panic set in as I looked at the calendar...only to realize that Seminole County Public Schools are dismissing for the Summer in LESS THAN A MONTH...OH MY, it feels like just yesterday when we were buying school supplies, meeting with the teachers and yes, breathing a sigh of relief that we would have a few months of freedom from the infamous "What are we going to do this Summer?" question I'm sure many of you have been starting to hear lately. Well, if you live in Lake Mary, Florida, I am pleased to announce than IN ADDITION to being voted by Money Magazine as the #4 Best Place to LIVE (which was probably voted by grown-ups), I'm confident that this Summer, we'd earn "Best Place to PLAY" bragging rights too! Why, you ask? Well, it's because the Ci... 05/08/2008

 The following are the market sales statistics for Casselberry, Seminole County, Florida for March 2008.  Casselberry is made up of the zip code 32707.  For purposes of this analysis we will be splitting the data according to single-family homes vs, condominiums, townhomes and villas.32707 - Single-Family Homes16 homes sold during the month of March.The average sales price, which is the total sold volume divided by the number of homes sold is $222,896 with 130 days on the market.The median sales price, which means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less, is $214,475.The most expensive home sold for $356,485 and apparently was under contract the day it was listed.  It was a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2-car garage home in 2597sf on .12 acre.  The HOA is $200 monthly... 04/13/2008

 The following are the market sales statistics for Lake Mary, Seminole County, Florida for March 2008.  Lake Mary is made up of the zip code 32746.  For purposes of this analysis we will be splitting the data according to single-family homes vs, condominiums, townhomes and villas.32746 - Single-Family Homes28 homes sold during the month of March.The average sales price, which is the total sold volume divided by the number of homes sold is $517,281 with 109 days on the market.The median sales price, which means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less, is $305,000.The most expensive home sold for $2.8M and was on the market for 411 days.  It was a 6 bedroom, 6 full bath, 2 half bath 11,089sf home with an 8-car stone floor exhibition garage built in 2006 in H... 04/13/2008

 Lake Mary is home to several outstanding golf communities including Heathrow Golf & Country Club and Timacuan Golf & Country Club.  One of my favorites is Magnolia Plantation.  This guard gated community of 500 homes features natural surroundings and one of the areas most challenging golf courses.  This community is also home to a small heard of dear, who live in the Wekiva Reserve that boarder the property.  If you would like more information about Magnolia Plantation, please contact me. The homes in Magnolia Plantation are situated on large wooded homesites that boarder the golf coarse and ponds.  Homes in Magnolia Plantation range from the the mid $400's to over $1.5 million...There are 39 homes on the market, with the least expensive home listed at $459,900 with 4 bedrooms / 2 bath... 04/12/2008

 What's Selling in Lake Mary...  Homes that are priced right! I've been working with buyers in Lake Mary for the past 2 months and both currently have contracts on homes and we are working towards closing.  While working so closely with them and looking at the best homes in their price ranges I noticed something really interesting.  If your home is priced competitively, it will sell.  One home that my clients loved that was on the market for a mere 8 days went under contract so quickly they have been kicking themselves for a couple of weeks.  It didn't happen again...  If you want to sell in this market, contact me to discuss your optionsIf you are looking for the latest stats, please visit my Lake Mary Market Update (by clicking here).   Considering a Move to Central Florida?Do you wan... 04/11/2008

Orlando Florida Real Estate Resource Lake Mary & Oviedo Relocation Guide - Seminole County Florida     Oviedo and Lake Mary are two great cities!  Both are located in Seminole County Florida and both are only minutes to Downtown Orlando.  These two cities have some of the best schools in the area, with Oviedo having what some to be the top schools in the state, which is why so many people choose these areas when buying a home.  Actually, all 8 Seminole County 4-year public high schools are ranked by Newsweek Magazine in the top 3% of schools in the United States, and Money Magazine identified Seminole County Public Schools as one of the top 100 school districts in the country.  Both have small town charm, yet are close to the big city atmosphere of Orlando.  Both are also only 30 minute... 04/10/2008

Orlando Florida Real Estate Resource Lake Mary New Construction, Luxury Homes - A Rare Find!It's quite rare these days to find new construction homes in Lake Mary Florida, ranked 4th in CNN's Top 100 Best Places to Live!  The Key West inspired homes of Banyon Pointe are a rare gem in the heart of Lake Mary.  Banyon Pointe is an exclusive, maintenance-free, gated community of only thirty-three luxury single family homes.  But hurry...at I write this, only 15 lots remain available.The homes in Banyan Pointe's charming community combine the charm of Key West's architecture and design with the most modern building techniques and appointments.  The use of living space is maximized with their modern and extremely functional floor plans, while the exterior features authentic coastal paint sche... 04/10/2008

A high-density development in Lake Mary got approval from the County Commission on Tuesday, but only after developer Bob Horian agreed to significantly reduce building height. The development is on Sun Drive near Greenwood Lakes Boulevard. Horian asked to modify an original development agreement from several years ago that would let him build condos on land previously approved for offices and town homes. Horian had proposed a 75-foot condo building on one tract. Commissioner Carlton Henley, whose district includes the Sun Drive development, balked at the height. Now the building height limit is just a little more than 55 feet. Horian said he needed to adjust the project, particularly because town homes are not selling well. Nothing's selling particularly well in this real-estate market,... 03/31/2008

Lake Mary is one of Central Florida's hottest growth areas, thanks in large part to the persistence of Jeno Paulucci, a self-made millionaire who made his fortunes selling frozen Chinese food and then frozen pizza.The city today sits at the epicenter of Florida's Hightech Corridor, which follows I-4 from Tampa through to Daytona Beach. Along the route, government and industry have joined forces to attract leading-edge companies in such fields as telecommunications, medical technology and microelectronics.  Lake Mary started as an isolated railroad station known as Bents which closed in 1910. Lake Mary is home to top rated schools, miles of bike paths and bustling shops, restaurants and movie theaters.Prices of real estate in this area range from:$89,000 - $7,500,000    For information o... 03/10/2008

Rare Historic 1925 Updated Crystal LakeFront Home-Just beautiful!MUST SEE!! IMMACULATE CONDITION-JUST MOVE IN! Realtors call this house "Beautiful", "Nicest I have seen in area", "Charming". This house sells itself!Immediate Occupancy! Owner can be out in two weeks tops.4/3 2180 Sq Feet under air. Just reduced below new appraisal of $380K to $375K! Make an offer-owner highly motivated! No reasonable offer will be refused!!Lake Mary just voted #4 place to live in US! Great vacation home-20 minutes from Disney/Universal Orlando and all airports. Original 1925 home section has been completely restored from sub-floors up! This is the only historic original home for sale in Lake Mary. New 2-story lake view addition built in completed in Jan 07. Features include all new: Polarwall insulated s... 02/17/2008

Most of you that already live in the Lake Mary area have watched the construction along Markham Woods rd near the corner of Lake Mary Blvd. Some of us have even pulled over in awe of these Luxurious homes. Well your chance will soon be here to tour these homes or better yet if you are looking to purchase these homes are available and I can help you will additional information on each home available.These homes feature amenties such as bowling alleys, resort style lagoon pools, butlers kitchens and luxury master suites. There will be 3 homes featured. Homes range from 10,000 to 17,000 sq ft and are priced up to $8.5 Million. Lake Club is a private enclave or large estate lots located across from Alaqua Lakes.  The 2008 street of dreams will take place April 26th-June 8th. Tickets will be... 02/13/2008

On January 24, 2008 the city of Lake Mary had a grand opening of the all new Lake Mary Event Center. The event center is the center jewel in the all new downtown redevelopment. The center is an ideal location for business meetings, weddings, banquets and parties. The center is over 19,000 square feet and has stunning views of Crystal Lake. In addition to the large square footage of this facility there is an event lawn and ceremony site with abundant landscaping making it perfect for any outdoor functions. They also have catering services available. If you are interested in having a guided tour of the facility go to www.lakemaryeventscenter.com. I must say this is one of the most beautiful buildings and locations I have seen and it's in our own backyard here in Lake Mary, FL. Here is jus... 02/13/2008

So you are a first time home buyer in the Central Florida market. Your family is telling you you should stop renting and buy a home. Your friends and the media are telling oh no it's doom and gloom the market is still falling don't get taken like we did. Hmm well if you follow your friends you would wait til the market goes up and pay too much for your home, not the best advice is it? Of course the media is saying the same thing, but think about it the media sides on the side of sellers. A few years ago the market was amazing, but was it really for you as a buyer. Escalator causes, low inventory, houses selling in hours, was it such a great market?  So listen to your family who has probably seen many markets, bought a sold a few homes and well knows what they are talking about. Interest... 01/31/2008

Most buyers in todays market have no urgency to buy. Most are sitting around seeing what the market will do and spending another month on rent and making someone else rich. To help them with their lack of enthusiam it's important to educate buyers. I feel most buyers feel educated because they listen to the media so they know whats going on. Well talk the people who bought their houses in 2006 because the media told them if you dont do it now you might not be able to afford a home ever. Ask them if they will listen to the media again.Rates are at historic lows. I know we have all heard this a hundred times over, but here are the actual numbers associated with waiting and getting a higher interest rate.On a $200,000 loan that increased from 6% to a 7% interest rate would cost the buyer a... 01/10/2008

Yes, Lake Mary Homes for Sale - Now is the time to buy!  You may read this and say to yourself, "What is this guy on drugs?"  No and hardly are the answers.  But let's look at the facts and take a couple of things into consideration.  If you have decent credit and have some available cash for a down payment, then you will most likely be able to get a loan at a decent interest rate.  You think I must be joking, but that's because you've been reading and hearing and have now succumbed to believing all of the doom and gloom about the mortgage and real estate markets.  Truth be told, now is an excellent time to purchase a home.  With the availability of so many homes on the market in varying sizes, shapes, location and condition - the choices are abundant.  OK, so you are still a little ske... 12/20/2007

  Lake Mary Florida in Seminole County, Central Florida, Near Orlando by: Christopher  Lake Mary & Orlando Florida Real Estate - Homes, Townhomes & Condos   Situated between Sanford, Longwood and Casselberry in Seminole County, Lake Mary is one of the fastest growing cities in Central Florida and is a very aesthetic, upscale area just north of Orlando. Ranked #1 in the south and #4 in the U.S., Lake Mary, Florida also continues to cultivate strong community bonds and is committed to maintaining its high quality of living. If you plan to relocate to the Orlando area, Lake Mary is perfect choice! Within close proximity to Interstate 4 and the blooming technology center of Heathrow, Lake Mary provides attractive, high-end neighborhoods and acclaimed golf communities, big businesses, superi... 12/18/2007